William James Munro (1873 – 12 January 1948) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

trade unionist A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and Employee ben ...

. Born to British parents in India, Munro's father served in the

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

, and Munro lived there until he was twelve. The family then moved to

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, and Munro found work with the Midland Railway Company. Three years later, he undertook an apprenticeship as a sheet metal worker, joining the Manchester Society of Braziers and Sheet Metal Workers.Edmund and Ruth Frow, "Munro, William John (Jack)", ''Dictionary of Labour Biography'', vol.VII, pp.189–191 Munro became interested in socialism, and was an early member of the

Independent Labour Party The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893 at a conference in Bradford, after local and national dissatisfaction with the Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse working-class candidates ...

, and later also the Openshaw Socialist Society. Through this, he came to know George Peet and

Harry Pollitt Harry Pollitt (22 November 1890 – 27 June 1960) was a British communist who served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) from 1929 to September 1939 and again from 1941 until his death in 1960. Pollitt spent ...

. He also joined the

Plebs League The Plebs' League was a British educational and political organisation which originated around a Marxist way of thinking in 1908 and was active until 1926. History Central to the formation of the League was Noah Ablett, a miner from the Rhondda ...

. He and Jim Crossley were the Socialist Society's two delegates to the 1911 Socialist Unity Conference, which founded the British Socialist Party, and he later followed the party into forming the

Communist Party of Great Britain The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPG ...

(CPGB). Munro worked at

Crossley Motors Crossley Motors was an English motor vehicle manufacturer based in Manchester, England. It produced approximately 19,000 cars from 1904 until 1938, 5,500 buses from 1926 until 1958, and 21,000 goods and military vehicles from 1914 to ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, becoming a

shop steward A union representative, union steward, or shop steward is an employee of an organization or company who represents and defends the interests of their fellow employees as a labor union member and official. Rank-and-file members of the union hold ...

, taking a leading role in the city's

shop stewards movement The Shop Stewards Movement was a movement which brought together shop stewards from across the United Kingdom during the First World War. It originated with the Clyde Workers Committee, the first shop stewards committee in Britain, which organised a ...

, and a 1917 strike at the factory. After the war, he was a founder of the

Manchester Labour College Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The two ...

, at which he tutored in several subjects. He also remained active in his trade union, representing it at the 1920 conference which led to the formation of the

National Union of Sheet Metal Workers and Braziers The National Union of Sheet Metal Workers, Coppersmiths, Heating and Domestic Engineers was a trade union in the United Kingdom and Ireland. History The union was founded in July 1920 as the National Union of Sheet Metal Workers and Braziers wit ...

, and serving on that union's first executive committee. He frequently stood to become president of the union, finally winning it in 1930/31. Munro was also active in the

Manchester and Salford Trades Council The Manchester Trades Union Council brings together trade union branches in Manchester in England. History Efforts to bring trade unionists together across Manchester go back to the eighteenth century. In 1818 the cotton spinners persuaded othe ...

, becoming a delegate in 1920, vice president in 1922/23, president in 1924/5, and treasurer from 1926. That year, he resigned from the CPGB, unhappy that it had criticised leaders of the

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national tra ...

during the

UK general strike The 1926 general strike in the United Kingdom was a general strike that lasted nine days, from 4 to 12 May 1926. It was called by the General Council of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in an unsuccessful attempt to force the British governme ...

. In 1936, he was elected as secretary of the trades council, aligning himself with the Labour Party and becoming increasingly opposed to the CPGB. He retired in 1944, after suffering increasingly poor health.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Munro, Jack 1873 births 1948 deaths Communist Party of Great Britain members British trade union leaders People from Openshaw Trade unionists from Manchester Plebs' League members